JLScattle":yyfvom42 said:
Its tough. Sadly 4 months isn't that bad... or even a year. Its those 3-4 year droughts that make you question what your doing.
Luckily I have people who have been doing this a while to provide guidance but you need to establish a comfortable amount of hay. I go with roughly 2 years worth. The idea that you can't have too much hay is kind of true, especially if you have barns to store. If its sitting outside on the ground you losing money. I see hay that just rots away on peoples places. They are literally losing thousands of dollars to weather. Don't go to that extreme. That is the equivalent of burying all your money in the yard. Your actually losing money on that so don't go to that extreme.
When we start in to a drought the first thing we do is cull and sell. Any thing that can be weaned is gone. Any thing that gets high headed, has been slipping through fences, or has aggravated me in any way... gone. One you need to get rid of the extra mouths, two it generates cash. I have never kept a calf through the winter or fed one through a drought expecting to make money. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush... money in the bank is better than oil in the tank.
You have to evaluate your cash on hand, hay and basically ration both. I calculate exactly what it will cost to feed x amount of bales, with x amount of ground feed, x amount of tubs, for x amount of time. That tells you exactly where the line in the sand is. You can only change so many variable is that equation... less mouths to feed, more money, or both.
When we get close to that line in the sand we basically start selling cattle. X amount of cattle sold generates X amount of dollars and buys you X amount of more time.
Even further than that you have to evaluate how many head you want to sell to feed the others. At some point you are better off selling the herd and cashing out. Its like poker, you can try to stay in by playing with your earning but eventually your left with nothing. If you would have cashed out you would have money in your pocket to play again another day if you chose.
Its not perfect but its how I have been taught and has worked for several generations. We don't operate on debt so I can't help you with that game.
Oh ya.... and any planned improvements go on hold. I have worked cattle in pens with 1 gate because the pens were put on hold to make it through a drought.
When its dry.. don't get hung up on trying to make that hay. Pouring the fert to it and all that. Its a waist. Minimize your risk. If you can buy hay early for a little more... do it. Lock in that cost. Thousands of dollars on lost fert can buy a lot of feed.
